Art of treating grain.



APPLIOATION FILLED SEPTO. 1902.

H. J. CALDWELL & J. B.. BARR. ART 0F T REAT'ING GRAIN.

N0 MODEL.

NITED STATES" PATENT FFIC.

HARRY J. CALDWELL AND JAMES R. BARR, OF EARLPARK, INDIANA.

ARTOF TREATING GRAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 724,258, dated March 31, 1903.

Application filed September 20, 1902. Serial No. 124,197. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Beit known that we, HARRY J. CALDWELL and JAMES R. BARRcitizens of the United States, residing at Earlpark, in the county of Benton and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Treating Grain, of which the following is a specification. f

Our invention relates to an improved process for cooling, drying, bleaching, and otherwise treating and conditioning grain.

Our invention relates particularly to improvements in that branch of the art oftreating grain inwhich the grain is moistened and subjected to the action of chemical fumes within a compartment arranged for that purpose. ary to moisten the grain by directing a jet of live steam or of vapor at a high temperature into the grain-treating compartment. In so moistening the grain it is also heated to an undesirable degree, and there is constant dauger of so overheating the grain as to seriously damage it. Thegrain so moistened is subjected to chemical fumes, such as fumes created by burning sulfur within a furnace or combustion-chamber, which fumes are conveyed directly to the grain-treating compartment, where they varrive at a high temperature. The effect of this process of treating grain is to create a very humid atmosphere of high temperature within the grain-treating compartment,therebyestablishing a condition which not only sometimes seriously damages the grain while within the treating-compart ment, but which so heats and moistens the grain that the grain continues heating after leaving the treating-compartment and requires an extensive cooling and drying treatment before it can be safely stored or shipped. After such treatment the grain must usually be passed through a cooling and drying apparatus severaltimes, and even then it not infrequently. happens that after storage or shipment it is found. that because of the treatment to which it has been subjected the grain has again startedheating or has soured, with a result that its value is greatly depre ciated. Y

The object of our invention isto so control the humidity and temperature of the chem- In the practice of-this art it is customical fumes and also .the temperature of the grain-moistening medium Within the compartment where Athe grain is treated that when the treatment is completed the grain will be left in a comparatively dry and cool condition for storage or shipment. These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are accomplished by the process hereinafter described, which may be conveniently 6o practiced by the use of the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view, partly in section, of an apparatus for treating grain according to our improved process. Fig. 2 is an end eleva- 65 tion of a furnace and fan. Fig. 3 is a sectional view ontheline 3 3 of Fig. l looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of a portion of Fig. 3.

Like letters of reference indicate thesame parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring by letter tothe accompanying drawings,-A indicates a vertical-stack provided with an exhaust-pipe B and with a graininlet pipe C, opening in the stack at the upper end thereof and provided with a swinging valve or door D, arranged to be automat- Yically opened inwardly by the pressure of .grain within the inlet-pipe C. Arranged within the stack are deiecting-shelves E, set

in staggered relation to each other, so that the grain in falling through the stack will be deiected alternately from one shelf 4to the yother and at the same time retarded in its movement.

Opening into the stack ail/arcon-um venient point is a nozzle F, whicizonneots with a steam-pipe G and is also provided with a connection H at a point outside of the stack.

This nozzle may be constructed and operated 9o as an injector, if so desired, in which event the steam-jet, entering through the pipe G, will draw water through the connection H and discharge a mixed jet of water and steam through the nozzle F. The nozzle may, if desired, be provided-with any suitablespraying attachment, so that the water and steam will be discharged into the stack in the form of a spray. It may be preferred, however, to leave the connection H open to the atmosroo phere, in which event the steam-jet will draw a current of air through the connection H,

which air-current will to a greater or less extent condense and cool the steam, so that a fine spray will be discharged through the nozzle F into the stack A. Adjacent to the bottom of the stack are pivoted and counterweighted gates I, While leading from the bottom of the stack is a conveyer J. Arranged adjacent to the stack is the furnace K, consisting of a closed chamber L and provided with any suitable damper or air-inlet, as M. Opening from this chamber is a passage N, controlled by a valve O, which passage leads into a mixing-chamber P, which is provided with a double air-valve consisting of an automatic pivoted valve Q and a manually-operated Valve R. Leading from the mixingchamber is a pipe S, which leads to a fan T, from which the pipe U communicates with the interior of the stack A.

The above apparatus is described and claimed in our copending application, Serial No. 123,895.

With an apparatus so constructed and assuming that our process is to be practiced for bleaching grain, the operation will be as follows: Sulfur fumes, for example, are generated in the chamber L, and the fan T being set in motion the sulfur fumes are drawn into the mixing-chamber P, where their temperature is reduced by mixing the sulfur fumes with air which is drawn into the mixingchamber through the compound valve Q R, and the fan T creates a current of this combination of air and sulfur fumes through the pipe U into and through the stack A and out through the exhaust B. At the same time steam is admitted to the pipe G and a steamcooling medium is admitted through the pipe H, the combination producing a moisteningspray, which is discharged into the stack A through the nozzle F. By this arrangement the temperature and humidity of the jet discharged through the nozzle F may be kept Within desired limits by controlling the relative proportions of steam and of the steamcooling medium by means of the steam-Valve g and the valve 7L. The grain to be bleached is now admitted to the stack A through the feed-pipe C and thence falling through the stack forms a thin sheet of grain, which is agitated both by the deliecting-shelves and by the upward draft of air and sulfur fumes mixed. By testing the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere within the stack A and by manipulating the various control- Valves the temperature and humidity within the stack may be maintained between any desired points, and it becomes possible to so regulate both the temperature and the humidity that the comparatively dry mixture of air and sulfur fumes will both bleach and dry the grain as it comes in contact therewith, so that the surplus moisture will be discharged through the exhaust B. At the same time by keeping the mixture of air and sulfur fumes at a comparatively lov.T temperature and also by keeping down the 'feasts temperature of the moistening medium we not only avoid all possibility of such excessive heating of the grain as might damage the same while being subjected to treatment within the stack, but we keep it at all times at such a low temperature that when our process is practiced with the form of apparatus shown the grain will in most cases be sulficiently dry and cool when it reaches the bottom of the stack for all commercial purposes, while in extreme cases or when our process is practiced with a stationary body of grain the grain is still kept so comparatively cool and dry that but little further manipulation-as, for instance, passing it once through a cleaner or any agitatin g-machine-is all that is necessary to put it in condition for storage, shipment, sale, or use.

With the form of apparatus shown some advantage in the way of cooling the grain may be gained by introducing the fumes at such a distance above the bottom of the stack that the grain will continue falling after having passed the fume-inlet. So, also, it may be desirable to cool the chemical fumes by mixing them with some cooling medium other than atmospheric air, which of course can be done Without departing from the spirit of our invention.

While we have described the preferred practice of our process for bleaching grain, we do not wish to be limited thereto, as our process covers any treatment of the grain which may be eected by moistening and then subjecting the same to a current of a comparatively cool and dry medium the temperature and humidity of which are controlled in the manner described.

We do not here broadly claim the process of treating grain with cooled or with cooled and diluted chemical fumes, that process being described and claimed in our copending application, Serial No. 130,768.

We claim- 1. The process of treating grain which comprises, irst, moistening a falling column of grain by subjecting the same to a spray formed by combining steam with a cooling medium and, second, subjecting the grain to the action of a comparatively cool current of chemical fumes, substantially as described.

2. The process of bleaching grain which comprises, first, moistening a confined and falling column of grain by subjecting the same to a spray obtained by combining steam with a cooling medium and, second, passing through the grain a comparatively cool current of air and sulfur fumes, substantially as described.

3. The process of treating grain which comprises passing the grain in a falling stream through a compartment, projecting a jet of a moistening medium into said compartment, and projecting a current of air commingled with treating fumes into the stream of grain and below the point of moisture-supply, substantially as described.

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4. The proeess of treating grain, which oo m-4 and through the falling grain, substantially prises passing the grain in a. yfalling stream as described. through a. compartment, projecting moisture I HARRY J. CALDWELL. into the stream of grain and projecting a JAMES R. BARR.

5 stream of drying and comparatively cool air Witnesses:

and treating fumesA mixed into said oompatrt-l JAMES BOLDMAN, ment, at a point below the moisture-supply, JOHN EBEL. 

